If anyone can relate to the Minnesota Timberwolves blowing a late lead, it’s anyone who tailed the Sleeper entry last night. The good news is we are back with a massive play tonight in Boston and another pick on sale! The Pacers pushed Boston to overtime in Game 1, nearly stealing it until Jaylen Brown’s late game heroics. It will be interesting to see how the tempo plays out coming off extended minutes with at least one team looking to push it. Boston is still without Kristaps Porzingis. Despite pushing Game 1 to the extended frame, the Pacers are 9-point road dogs. Now let’s get into some NBA Sleeper Fantasy predictions.
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Sleeper Fantasy Predictions Today — NBA Slate
Pick on Sale: Jaylen Brown M/L Than 0.5 Points
This is our pick on sale for tonight’s action, but we still recommend playing the bottom two picks for a 5x entry.
Looking for more NBA pick’em advice? Check out the rest of our NBA articles or our NBA pick’em tools. New to Sleeper Fantasy? Get your first deposit matched up to $100!
Jayson Tatum M/L Than 46.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists
One can certainly argue the Celtics’ letdown game at home game in the opener, avoiding what we’ve seen in previous series. Losing that second game came off a convincing home win; that wasn’t the case last time. Still, the C’s are heavy favorites and the public is expecting Jayson Tatum to carry the load. I’m not, primarily because of the balance provided around him. We are seeing Tatum struggling from behind the arc, for the most part. Even last game where he crushed the above point + rebounds + assists total, he shot 2-for-8, more along the lines of what we’ve seen over their series against the Cavaliers.
Tatum also benefited from overtime, scoring 10 points in that stretch. We like the Celtics to control more of the pace, keeping the Pacers at a slower overall tempo. You know the drill in the playoffs — slower tempo means fewer possessions, which translates to lower numbers. Tatum certainly has the shot volume to clear this number alone, but without any extra time, we like him to sit less than 46.5 PRA — especially with fewer than his 12 rebounds he had in Game 1.
Sleeper Prediction: Jayson Tatum LESS Than 46.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists
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Ben Sheppard M/L Than 4.5 Points
That recipe for playing less on player projections doesn’t just apply to superstars. It also works great with Ben Sheppard of the Pacers. Belmont’s finest played 17 minutes last game, missed all three of his long-range shots and finished with 2 points. There are going to be limited possessions in this game; it will look far slower than Game 1, where there were 65 combined first quarter points. The amount of time for Sheppard on the floor becomes more limited now, especially since he won’t have the shot volume to overcome a bad shooting night.
Here’s the breakdown — this guy doesn’t play much, and if he is on the floor, he isn’t a top option. With limited chances to score and keep up with Boston, most of Sheppard’s looks will be contested and difficult to knock down. Boston isn’t leaving anyone open to chance, and Sheppard is strictly bench material, so the Celtics already have a better defensive second team. We get the benefit of two buckets, or one 3, and still staying less than 5 points.
Sleeper Prediction: Ben Sheppard LESS Than 4.5 Points
